Software cuts equipment downtime, adds OEE

Wonderware, a business unit of Invensys, announces the release of Performance Software 3.5, the newest evolution of its equipment downtime and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) software, and an integrated module of the Wonderware comprehensive MES and supervisory software. The software has an ArchestrA technology-based configuration and visualization for easy set up for one line, and ...

Wonderware, a business unit of Invensys, announces the release of Performance Software 3.5, the newest evolution of its equipment downtime and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) software, and an integrated module of the Wonderware comprehensive MES and supervisory software. The software has an ArchestrA technology-based configuration and visualization for easy set up for one line, and support for enterprise-level asset performance strategies. It is ideal for equipment downtime and efficiency tracking that can be easily deployed across multiple plants, company says. As part of a unified supervisory and manufacturing execution system (MES) that can evolve as MES requirements grow, it saves development costs and reduces the number of applications to service and maintain.

Comments about the introduction : "When Cimnet was acquired, a key part of the strategy was to integrate the Cimnet Factelligence MES functionality with the Wonderware System Platform to unlock ArchestrA's scalability and extensibility benefits to customers needing to monitor equipment downtime and OEE," said Jim Frider, marketing manager for Wonderware. "This has now been accomplished with Performance Software 3.5. As part of this release, Wonderware also is providing software migration tools and commercial upgrade paths to customers who have utilized previous Wonderware OEE offerings such as DT Analyst and Equipment Performance Module."According to Robert Peters, CEO at ASECO Integrated Systems, a Wonderware Certified Systems Integration Partner, "Performance Software 3.5 has reduced the engineering effort required for ASECO to develop performance management solutions and simplifies maintenance and support for our customers. We see the combination of Wonderware Performance Software 3.5 and System Platform as hitting the sweet spot between real-time performance metrics and manufacturing intelligence."OEE tutorial : Overall equipment effectiveness is the topic of a Control Engineering tutorial in which Robert Williamson of Strategic Work Systems Inc., an author, workplace educator, and consultant on manufacturing maintenance and equipment performance, explains OEE’s origin: “OEE is a measure of total (meaning, complete, inclusive, and whole) equipment performance—the degree to which the asset is doing what it is supposed to do.” It reveals that “the average OEE percentage in manufacturing plants is 60%; a world-class rate is 85%. In practice, however, world-class goals for each component factor can be quite different: availability 90.0%, performance 95.0%, and quality 99.9%...”